I don’t think ML can’t be creative or make discoveries. I think creativity and discovery are, ultimately, simultaneously thinking about the right seemingly-disparate concepts (whereas algorithmic thinking is more obviously related concepts). If not an LLM, some other model can generate random ideas, rank them, then output the best.

But I think humans are better at it, while ML is better at algorithmic thinking. “Better” being more efficient and something we more enjoy doing; we can also more accurately rank what subjectively appeals to humans (i.e. taste), especially ourselves.

I think ML should be optimized for tasks that require more generalization than programming, but are still mostly logic. Like software development, translation, and tools for art and discovery.